


a happy (?) birthday

by silly_g00se



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birthday, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29244891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silly_g00se/pseuds/silly_g00se
Summary: Makoto and Byakuya have been away from each other for a long time.
Relationships: Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya
Comments: 20
Kudos: 84





	a happy (?) birthday

**Author's Note:**

> this is literal dog water but whatever  
> HAPPY (late) BIRTHDAY MAKOTO NAEGI!!! mwah hope boy  
> no beta read we die like men
> 
> it was unintentional but this fic has a good amount of similarities to one by [eilishwrites!](%E2%80%9D) they’re an amazing writer so mwah

Makoto stared at his computer screen, laughing aloud- too loud for near midnight- at his lover. He reached a hand up to wipe at his teary eye, letting out a soft chuckle as he calmed down. He and Byakuya had been talking for a few hours now, which was a treat in and of itself. Byakuya was stationed in Paris for a few months now, and while it was difficult, they’d made it work. Makoto was usually a night owl, so staying up a bit later so he got to talk to him. After all, Paris was eight hours behind Tokyo, and that meant that time was a bit of an issue. Byakuya had frequent meetings in the morning and afternoon, and when he finally finished up with his work outside of that, Makoto was asleep. Today, though, he had off.

“And then the guy looks at me and asks- ‘what is my job again?’ The dimwit couldn’t remember after I’d told him _three times_!” Byakuya let out an exasperated chuckle, shaking his head. 

Makoto chuckled quietly, taking a sip from his tea. “Must’ve been frustrating, huh, Kuya?” He asked softly, taking another sip before he set down the mug.

“Extremely,” Byakuya murmured, looking back up at him for a few moments. Makoto couldn’t help but smile as their eyes met. Even from miles across the world, staring into Byakuya’s eyes made Makoto’s stomach turn into knots. Just getting to stare into that endless blue void, and to have them stare back… it was trance-inducing. Makoto just wanted to gaze at them for hours.

“...hi,” Makoto said quietly after a few moments, giggling. It drew a smile out of Byakuya.

“Hello,” He responded, leaning forward on his hands. “You sure like to stare, do you not?”

“Sorry…” Makoto chuckled, blushing a bit from embarrassment at being caught. “You’re just… pretty. I can’t help it,”

Makoto swore he could see a faint tint of blush on Byakuya’s cheeks. “I’m well aware, Makoto,”

Byakuya adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, glancing aside from Makoto. He hummed. 

“Huh?” Makoto asked with a slight tilt of his head.

Byakuya looked up. “Oh, nothing… I was just looking at the time.”

Makoto glanced at his own computer screen, smiling. “Oh! I didn’t even notice time went by so fast…”

Byakuya hummed a bit. “You know what this means, do you not?”

Makoto tilted his head slightly. “Huh?”

“It’s the fifth,” Byakuya said softly, pulling a grin out of Makoto. “Happy birthday, dear,”  
Makoto smiled brightly at him from over the screen. Of course Byakuya remembered, he always did. Makoto could recall his black planner clear as day, which was one of the reasons he remembered everything. He’d been offered one many a time, but he’d declined. He said that he was doing fine as it is, which wasn’t a _whole_ lie, so Byakuya didn’t push it.

Even so, hearing Byakuya say it meant the world to Makoto. 

“Yeah… happy birthday to me,” Makoto murmured with a soft yawn, shaking his head. “...it’s already getting kinda late.”

“You should go to bed,” Byakuya urged. “You mentioned a test tomorrow, didn’t you?”

“Oh, yeah! I did- damnit! Thanks for reminding me,” Makoto said with a smile, looking over at the time. “I wanna talk to you, though… not study,”

Byakuya chuckled quietly. “I know…”

“We don’t get to talk like this anymore… I miss you,” Makoto murmured.

“I know, Makoto. I miss you too, truly… but it won’t last forever.” Byakuya said quietly.

“You’re still coming back this month, aren’t you?” He asked.

Byakuya opened his mouth, before closing it and casting his gaze aside. “About that…”

Immediately that cheery mood was gone. Makoto just stared in disbelief, a feeling of anger boiling up inside of him. This was the third fucking time he was going back on his promises with coming home- it’s been six months! “You promised you’d be back this month, Byakuya…” He murmured, coming out more of a whine than anything. “You said it would only take three months!”

“Makoto, I know. I know you’re upset and so am I. I want to be home just as much as you want me there, but I need to be here.” Byakuya said quietly. “Just calm down, Makoto.”

“No!” Makoto huffed, and it was clear that the snap startled his boyfriend. “You’ve been there _double_ the time you promised it would take!” 

“I know, Makoto, but listen-”

“No, Byakuya. _You_ listen to _me_!” Makoto exclaimed, leaning forward. “I can’t do this anymore! Byakuya I _love you_ but I need you home! I can’t… I can’t keep doing this! This never talking to talk to you thing is driving me _nuts_ and-” 

Tears fell onto his cheeks as he looked down, hiding his face in his hands. That raging anger spark had burned out as quickly as it had lit, and all that was left was a dying flame of desperation. “I just… I really miss you, Byakuya…” He said quietly, his voice wavering. “I don’t wanna keep going like this. I _need_ you here…”

Byakuya’s heart was absolutely breaking at the sight. He hated seeing Makoto cry- let alone being the one to cause it. “Makoto…” The brunette looked up with glossy eyes, his nose and eyes starting to turn red a bit from crying. Byakuya just stared for a moment with a concerned look.

“I want to be home… I do. I can’t fail my company, Makoto, you know this…” He said quietly, looking down. “I miss you terribly, I do. But I have a responsibility here.”

“I know…” Makoto said quietly, sniffling. “It’s selfish of me to want you here all the time… I’m sorry.”

Byakuya frowned. “No, Makoto. It isn’t. Not at all. When we entered a committed relationship together we both made the decision to hold responsibility in it. I haven’t exactly been doing that…”

“But you have a job, Byakuya! You have a company to run… and… and…” Makoto trailed off with a sniffle. “I’m sorry… I just… I miss you a lot.”

“I know…” Byakuya said quietly. “...I’ll see what I can do.”

Makoto looked up, sniffling. “I just… I’m gonna go to bed. I love you,”

“I love you as well. Sleep well…” Byakuya said softly. Makoto hit the end call button, staring at himself in the now black screen. He felt… guilty. He knew Byakuya didn’t have any control of when he came home, and now he was probably mad. He let the thought stew as he turned in for the night.

-

Byakuya stared at the screen, sighing. It was only four PM… and he had absolutely nothing to do besides think about what had just occurred. Makoto had expressed his feelings, Byakuya did his best to reassure him and validate him, and he’d gone to bed upset. And the reason he was upset was because Byakuya was away for so long. He couldn’t blame him at all… they’d been apart for almost six months, and it was supposed to go on for even longer. He was supposed to be stationed here for another three months…

Byakuya sighed as he leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. He missed Makoto terribly- this sense of longing was one he didn’t think could be so _strong_. He wanted to be back home, to be back with him and his cat, and to just be able to speak to him face-to-face. He felt so stupid to be so attached, but when he saw Makoto break down, he knew it wasn’t just him.

He stared at his computer clock, running through a few different numbers in his mind. Paris was eight hours behind Tokyo so by the time Makoto got up at around nine PM, it would be one AM where Byakuya currently was. So if he wanted to order in anything for him, he’d have to do it when he was in class. Byakuya would be asleep by then, so he could do so in advance. Perhaps he could include some sort of personal message?

But it still didn’t feel personal enough. When Byakuya did things for Makoto’s birthday, he didn’t just half ass it: he went all out. Last year, for example, he took Makoto to America for a whole week. They went and saw broadway shoes, did a good amount of shopping, went ice skating in Times Square… it was the best birthday Makoto said he ever had. And the year before that he’d gone and booked venue after venue, taking him to restaurants and aquariums, and ended it with taking him stargazing. The years before that were similar- grand and expensive. But they all got better over time. 

Byakuya wants to top his birthday each and every year he did it. He wouldn’t let the streak break this time, but how could he do that if he wasn’t there?

But what if he was?

The thought had stopped him for a moment. No- that was the first answer. He had business here with his father- this was a test to see how he’d handle the company. The only reason he had to be here was because his father said so. He wasn’t actually truly _needed,_ he was just observing more than anything. He wasn’t doing anything. 

All this was nothing new. Same old sort of business. He was just sort of here, listening in and watching and doing work. He was doing work here that he could easily be doing from home!

So why wasn’t he?

The thought spurred him to stand up and stare at his screen. If he bought a ticket now, then the nearest flight would probably be around five o’clock. The flight would take about twelve hours… so he’d arrive at the airport at around two o’clock, and then he could get home just before Makoto got home from classes! Yes- this was a brilliant plan. 

He didn’t need to be here- he could be home. He could’ve been home all along. With that thought in mind, he made quick work of packing up his things. 

-

Makoto came to with the sound of a soft meow. That was a familiar sound… but it was quiet. Was it real or was he still dreaming? A soft trill confirmed that suspicion and he felt soft fur rub against his cheek. 

He smiled a bit, opening his eyes to look at the source: Aiko. They’d had their cat for almost two years now, after Makoto came home with her on a stormy night. Initially Byakuya had said no and that they needed to put her up for adoption, but she grew on the both of them. She was a fluffy white persian cat, with one green eye and one blue eye. Makoto always said that she was like their daughter. 

“Morning, Aiko..” He murmured softly, leaning toward the other to gently scratch her head. She mewled and leaned up into him, before pawing at his chest. 

He chuckled a bit. “Alright, alright. I’m getting up,” He said, to which she hopped off the bed and dashed to the door. She pawed at it before it eventually opened. Makoto just shook his head, murmuring about how smart the cat was.

He stood and glanced at the clock. He still had a good hour until his classes started but… he _really_ didn’t want to go to school. College was draining enough in and of itself, but paired with the little outburst he had last night, it was absolutely off the table. Besides! It was his birthday! That had to have counted for something, right?

He hummed a bit as he grabbed his phone, pulling it off the charging cord before he opened up his email. He quickly typed out a message to his professors, mentioning something about a cough and a feeling of lightheadedness. He sent out the message before pocketing his phone.

Makoto made his way downstairs, humming quietly to himself as Aiko ran ahead of him. He made his way through the penthouse apartment quickly, as not to keep the cat waiting. She sat beside her dish, meowing quietly.

“Stop crying at me, Ko, I’m getting your food,” Makoto said with a soft chuckle, reaching into the cupboard. He grabbed a can of wet food, pulling back the tin cap and draining out the excess juice before emptying it into her bowl. She nuzzled against his leg with a soft meow before going to eat.

He hummed quietly, rinsing out the tin can and tossing it into the garbage as he began to think about his day. Well- he was just going to stay home. Maybe he could order a pizza…? Oh that sounded nice- a whole cheese pizza, just for him. And he could watch a movie! He could watch all the movies! He could eat ice cream and cheesecake and _ramen-_ he could have it all. But that would give him a stomach ache, he was sure. So maybe he’d just have some cheesecake and split a pizza with his friend.

He washed his hands quickly and grabbed two pieces of bread, popping them into the toaster. While he waited he grabbed a glass from the cupboard and grabbed the water pitcher from inside the fridge, as well as a jar of jam. He filled the cup before setting the pitcher back into the fridge. Makoto reached up to the cabinets again, grabbing a plate. 

He hummed quietly as the toast popped back up, and he placed it onto his plate. He put jam on the two slices before he took a seat on the counter. 

Makoto began to scroll through his texts, finding a few unread ‘happy birthday’s and such. Aoi, Komaru, Kyoko had all been the first to tell him, all of them sending a few sentences early-ish in the morning. Sayaka, Sakura, and Mukuro had been next to message him at around six in the morning, and then everyone else slowly trickled in after that. It made his heart warm to know that his friends all cared enough to remember and message.

But he got no text from Byakuya.

He wished him one when they were on call, yeah, but he usually sent a goodnight message. Maybe he was just mad at Makoto? He didn’t _seem_ mad about it when they were on call. Then again, Byakuya was really good at masking his feelings… but when he got mad he didn’t usually hide it! It didn’t add up to Makoto, which just made it even more confusing. 

He sighed as he finished off his toast, licking off some jam from his fingers. He didn’t want to linger on this… he was the hopeful one, damnit! He just had to have some hope that Byakuya wasn’t mad at him. If he was, maybe they could talk about it when he was awake.

He glanced at his phone. Almost nine. That meant for Byakuya it was...definitely late. He was definitely asleep. They could talk about this when he was up.

Makoto set his plate in the sink and stretched out his arms, humming quietly. He could just relax all day… and that’s what he intended to do.

-

Makoto was up in their bedroom, Aiko in his lap, and a half-eaten carton of ice cream in his hand. He had the remote in his other hand, and a spoon in his mouth. Blankets surrounded the boy, as well as one of Byakuya’s shirts. It was wrapped around him, the sleeves hanging over his shoulders and dangling in his lap. Aiko would occasionally nuzzle up against the sleeves, or play with them, and that was absolutely adorable.

He stared at his phone as the screen lit up, showing the time. Almost three PM… ugh. The day was going by way too slow. Komaru was out with Toko, Sayaka was rehearsing, Leon was at practice… everyone was busy. He had plans to go out with a few of his friends but that was at six! He didn’t want to wait that long…

Makoto sighed quietly, pausing the television. Maybe he could… call his mom? Ask if he could come over for a bit? She’d say yes, sure, but that meant he had to get ready now instead of later. Ugh- that was fine. At least he wouldn’t be alone.

He took another bite of his ice cream before setting it aside, standing and setting Aiko aside. He tossed aside the blankets and shirt in favor of making his way over to their closet. He grabbed his typical green hoodie, as well as a plain black shirt and dark blue jeans, and a pair of boxers. The ensuite was just connected to the bedroom, so walking to the bathroom wasn’t at all hard.

Makoto set the clothes down on the counter and stripped himself of his pajamas. He set them in the hamper before turning on the shower, waiting for the water to warm up. Once it was, he got in and closed the shower door, letting out a content sigh as the warm water hit his skin. 

He was only in the shower for about fifteen minutes, taking a bit longer than he really needed to simply because he wanted to enjoy the warmth for a bit. If Byakuya were here, he’d scold him for taking too long, but since he wasn’t he took as long as he wanted. Makoto turned off the water and grabbed a fluffy towel, drying off his hair first before he wrapped it around his waist. 

He hummed quietly to himself and grabbed his deodorant, applying it quickly before tossing it aside again. He put on his shirt and boxers quickly before slipping into his jeans. As he was reaching for his toothbrush, he heard something downstairs…

Makoto could swear he heard a soft thud… but brushed it off as Aiko. She probably got into something, he thought, as he reached for the toothbrush as well. He squeezed a bit onto the toothbrush, wetting it under the faucet before he began to brush his teeth.

Not even a minute later did he hear the sound of a door closing. He jumped, pausing for a moment to see if it was just his imagination, but no. He heard footsteps as well. His heart sank into his stomach.

Immediately Makoto spat out the toothpaste and wiped his mouth, making his way out of the bathroom quietly. Aiko was sat on the bed, confirming his suspicions that it wasn’t her making those noises. He was going to die here- wasn’t he? Someone was in his house and if they saw him surely they’d hurt him!

He was going to die on his birthday- he was going to die without getting to say goodbye to anyone- he was going to die without getting to see Byakuya ever again!

Makoto shook his head. No, he had to make it out alive! He had to fight back! With these thoughts in his head, he looked around to see what he had to fight back with. Byakuya had a gun but he never paid attention to where it was stored… he really regretted that now.

He grabbed his spoon from earlier and looked around, coming up with nothing. Whoever was downstairs, they seemed to be in the kitchen. He could throw the spoon, disorient them, and make a dash for a knife (should he have to fight back)! Yeah, that was a good plan!

He made his way out of the bedroom quietly, his heart beating in his ears. He looked around quickly, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He tiptoed his way down the stairs, keeping his steps light as not to make a single noise. As he made his way down the stairs, turned the corner and was met with the view of a person. There they were! He threw the spoon quickly, hiding back behind the wall after he realized what he’d done. Damnit- he’d missed his chance! He had to go now or else they’d find him! He turned the corner again and was about to make a dash for the kitchen when-

“Ow!” The other muttered, and immediately Makoto was stunned. As the perpetrator turned around and the spoon clattered to the ground, their eyes met. Crystal blue eyes stared into Makoto’s. Immediately he could recognize the other.

“Byakuya?” He asked quietly, his voice wavering.

The blonde grinned, opening his arms. “Makoto.”

Immediately Makoto grinned and hugged the other tightly, tearring up. “Y-You… I thought you…”

“Would be in Paris for another few months?” He asked, smiling as the other nuzzled him. “I thought so too. But I couldn’t bear being away any longer.”

Makoto sniffled a bit as he looked up at Byakuya, grinning. “You gave me a heart attack… I thought someone was breaking in!” He admitted with an embarrassed chuckle, reaching up to wipe his eyes.

“Is that why you threw a spoon at me?” Byakuya asked with a quiet chuckle. 

Makoto nodded. “Yeah… sorry.” He chuckled. “But you didn’t tell me you were coming!”

“I wanted to surprise you,” Byakuya said, smiling. “It’s your birthday after all,”

Makoto grinned even more, tearing up again. “You came home for me…?”

Byakuya nodded quietly, and immediately Makoto hugged him even tighter. He leaned up to the other, pressing their lips together. Immediately Makoto felt his heart swell. After months of being apart, getting to hold each other and kiss like this was the best feeling he’d ever felt.

He pulled away with a grin, resting his forehead on Byakuya’s chest. “I love you…”

Byakuya smiled softly. “I love you too. Happy birthday, Koto…”

Despite it being simple- it was the best gift Makoto had ever received.

**Author's Note:**

> yeah the ending was cheesy as shit this is so unoriginal but whatever lmao  
> comment and kudos ✨


End file.
